Patrick is a Ugandan Entrepreneur, acclaimed film maker and Ad-man, whose company Xibra, markets mobile platform solutions and provides creative communication services.
He has worked with leading brands like Google, MTN Uganda and South African Tourism Board. Patrick's writing brings a fresh new perspective to Technology, marketing and secrets to success
This blog is inspired by the numerous walks he take to the kiosk (Duuka).

Monday, June 30, 2014

Why Jose Chameleon's 1 million shillings concert will be a hit

Last
Thursday, Jose Chameleon announced at his Club
unplugged performance that tickets for his December concert will go for a
staggering 1 million. Way more than any other concert in Ugandan's history.

As expected many of his fans will
protest the price tag and as predicted, Jose will pay a deaf ear to critics,
given he is an exception to many entertainment rules. I am particularly happy
about his announcement for two reasons.

Time
for the rubber to meet the road

From the beginning of Jose
Chameleon's carrier, he has closely been compared to Bebe Cool and Bobi wine.
However in recent years without a doubt, Jose has managed to constantly and
consistently reinvent himself and his music, leaving his competiton far behind amidst
little mention in media.

Following
his social media streams, it’s apparent that he has toured more countries in
the past four years than any other local artist. Proving that he is a well
sought after act internationally. He has achieved this by concentrating
on what truly matters to him and his fans; music.

The fault with many artists and
by extension celebrities, is they take stardom overly serious that with time
fans associate them with scandals instead of their primary business; entertainment.
Chameleon continuously delivers to his fans, hits each year in a variety of
genres.

At
the moment, I can’t tell Bebe cool or Bobi wine’s latest hit which means their
visibility is fading and their survival will depend on loyalists who love them
for who they are not what they do which will affect their brand growth because
they are still selling their music in same market space as they did ten years
ago.

Chameleon by default is a trail
blazer and his expensive concert will have a positive impact on his brand
equity through providing a new opportunity for him to sell to a new audience
while creating an even better entertainment experience for his loyalists. A case
of behavioral change communication.

Intangible value of
brand Equity

Brand equity is a phrase used in the marketing industry
which describes the value of having a well-known brand name, based
on the idea that the owner of a well-known brand name makes more money. Given
his successful carrier spanning well over ten years, it comes with no surprise
that his brand name commands more respect than any other name in East Africa's
music industry. He was ranked in 2011 as the sixth most talented African
Artist, closely following the likes of Akon and P. Sqaure. He has since
consistently kept his fans in the loop of what is happening in his music career
on social media, steering away for ego- centered interactions.

By focusing on his work, he has managed
to attract an heir of aspiration around his brand which makes him far more valuable
in the real world and his concert will be proof of that.

For example, Radio and Weasel have good
music and are arguably as famous, following their BET nomination last year.
However they are falling in the same trap of brand unconsciousness as many entertainers before
them. Which is; fans love their music however because they are not
communicating their brand story, consequently letting the public tell it for
them hence giving them a low score on brand equity scale.

Equity is like leverage, it can be traded in for tangible
rewards and I believe Jose is about to cash out on his efforts in digital branding.

Without
a doubt, the success of his concert will change the music industry for good for
it will change fans perception towards the value of local talent.